Aloha!
For sale with is one of the last banjo ukuleles that Gibson produced, a UB-2 Special or UB-3 made sometime between 1940 and 1944. It has 16 brackets, 15 frets, a bound fingerboard and an unbound, flat-plate resonator. The position markers are pearl “snowflake” and “diamond” inlays like those found on the UB-3. Labels inside the pot show that it was built by Gibson in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and later sold in South Africa (see photo 10). The pot diameter is 8\", overall length is 21-1/4\", and scale length is 13-7/8\".
Sorry, there is no case with this instrument.
A NOTE ON THE DATE AND MODEL: On the back of the peghead is a factory order number (“FON”) which reads “F2046-88”. More correctly, the FON is the first five characters of this number (“F2046”). It denotes a group of instruments that travelled through the production process together. The last two digits (“88”) identify the individual instrument within that group. According to Spann\'s Guide to Gibson 1902-1941 (Centerstream, 2011), at page 174, FON F2046 was a group of UB-2s produced from 1940-44. At there is a list of Gibson serial numbers that one collector has compiled, three of which have FON F2046. One is described as a UB-3 and the others as UB-2, and all are denoted “S. Africa Export Model”.
CONDITION: Repaired peghead cracks; plugged oversized tuner holes with hardwood and redrilled; lightly oversprayedface of the peghead with nitrocellulose guitar laquer to seal repairs. The peghead logo is original but retouched where the cracks crossed it. (See photos 6, 7, 11). The nut is new Micarta, the tuners a new set of Grover 4W’s. The bridge is also a modern replacement; so are the natural skin head and all tension hooks. Strings are New Nylguts from Aquila. NOT included in this sale are the original tension hooks, which need work to be useful, and are available in a separate sale.
NEWBIES: If you have a zero response score, no problem -- offer away -- but please contact me by e-mail first, or I will have to cancel your offer.
SHIPPING: I ship to the U.S. mainland, Hawaii, Alaska and U.S. Protectorates; also to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan using \'s Global Shipping Program. Sorry, no other international destinations and no P.O. boxes or APO/FPO, please. Domestic shipping is usually via UPS Ground ($35.00), with an extra $30.00 for shipment to Hawaii, Alaska or U.S. Protectorates. International shipping and import charges (if any) are calculated by and should appear in the listing. International shipments go a little more slowly because I first send the item to \'s service center in Kentucky, USA, then reships it to you.
Mahalo for looking.
